Mention the Affordable Care Act to people who are self-employed and buy their own health insurance and you’ll be lucky to get a kind chuckle in return. More than likely, the response you’ll receive is frustration or even anger. There is nothing “affordable” about the Affordable Care Act to middle income Americans who don’t qualify…Read More
Private Exchange Explained Before you purchase or renew a traditional employee benefits plan, you would do yourself a favor by considering a Private Exchange instead. What’s a private exchange? A private exchange is a health insurance marketplace for a company’s employees. Here’s how it works The employER makes a contribution to the employee’s benefits. It can…Read More
Not long ago turning 26 wasn’t that big of a deal. You’re 10 years past your sweet 16, 8 years past becoming an adult, and 5 years past being able to buy alcohol. But in 2010 the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law and that created a new milestone for young Americans…turning 26.…Read More
Does the type of car you drive determine how likely you are to get a ticket? Technically, the answer is “No.” because cars don’t get tickets, their drivers do. After all, if you’re not speeding, you won’t get a speeding ticket, no matter which car you drive. Perhaps people who get tickets prefer the same type of…Read More
Employee benefits first began during World War II as a way to attract the best workers. Today, most employee benefit plans are taken for granted at best and actually despised at worst. Your employee’s satisfaction with their job, their health, and their financial well-being can all be affected by their benefits. But it doesn’t have…Read More
There have been times in my life when health insurance seemed like a complete waste of money. But then there was the time when it literally saved me from financial ruin. It was the summer of 2011 and up to that point I was the picture of perfect health. I had never so much as broken a…Read More
Most California small business owners chose to renew their group health insurance plans early in 2014. Although most couldn’t tell you why they chose the early renewal, they did make the right choice. The process of renewing early is known as “grandmothering”. The name is an offshoot of the previous form of keeping your old…Read More
It’s becoming an every day occurrence. I begin a conversation with someone looking for individual health insurance. They either lost their insurance from their job or maybe they are just looking for a better price. We start talking about what they’re paying now, what kind of coverage they have versus what they need, and what…Read More
When I was a young boy I did what young boys do, mainly, find new ways to cause head trauma. Whether it was splitting my lip open playing basketball, getting hit with a golf ball in my forehead, or planting that same forehead on the pool coping, the result was the same…a trip with mom…Read More
“Are the insurance companies really going to deny me after the open enrollment period ends?” I’m often asked this exact question and with good reason. Consumers just can’t imagine why a company wouldn’t take their money. Insurance companies spend billions of dollars in advertising and when the time comes to close a deal, they aren’t…Read More